The 2026 high school football season kicks off Tuesday, Aug. 4, with the first official day of practice across the state, 16 days prior to the first official night of games Thursday, Aug. 20.
Last season, two Milwaukee-area programs won state titles at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison with Grafton’s last-second victory to win the Division 3 state crown, while Arrowhead stole victory from the jaws of defeat in the Division 1 state title game against Bay Port.
To kickstart this season’s preseason coverage, we’ll take a look at some of the top players across the area within each position group heading into the 2026 season. The Journal Sentinel will have eight position groups represented over the next two weeks, along with voting polls for who you think will be the best offensive and defensive players in the Milwaukee area this season.
The next group of players to know centers around the big guys up front on the offensive line, listed in alphabetical order, along with 10 other names to know this campaign.
Adam Knurr, sr., Milwaukee Reagan
During his junior season in 2025, Knurr was a core piece of Reagan’s title charge in the Milwaukee City Conference. He was named the co-offensive lineman of the year with Hamilton’s Michael Harris and was named to the all-MCC first-team defense as a defensive lineman. Knurr helped the Reagan offense rush for just under 2,700 yards on the ground as a unit with 42 total touchdowns, while registering 41 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and four sacks for the Huskies on defense. They’ll be the odds-on favorites to repeat in the Richardson Division, especially with King’s departure to the Southeast Conference in 2026, and Knurr will be a catalyst in their title charge.
Hunter Mallinger, sr., Sussex Hamilton
The Wisconsin Badgers have figured out that the Milwaukee area has loads of talent, especially in the trenches, on the gridiron for the 2027 class. One of three seniors named to the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association’s large school all-state roster up front was Sussex Hamilton’s Mallinger. Mallinger, along with his brother Reece, both committed to Wisconsin in the 2027 class and will provide a massive presence up front for the co-Greater Metro Conference champions this season. Both Mallingers were all-GMC first-team selections across the offensive line and with the talent the Chargers offense possesses again, they could be one of the most exciting units in the area to watch in 2026.
Cade Reikowski, sr., Pewaukee
The second of the three WFCA large school all-state selections up front from the area in 2025 was Pewaukee’s Reikowski. The Northwestern commit was also an all-Classic 8 Conference first-team selection across the offensive front for a Pewaukee offense that ran for just over 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns in 2025. Reikowski also chipped in with 34 total tackles and two tackles for loss on the defensive side of the ball as a junior. With his return, along with Wisconsin commit Jack Tabbert, Pewaukee’s offensive line will be arguably the most imposing front in the new-look Parkland Conference.
Cole Reiter, sr., Germantown
The third and final WFCA all-state offensive line selection in the large school division returning from 2025 is the Mallingers’ future teammate in fellow Wisconsin commit and Germantown offensive lineman Reiter. Three of the seven all-Greater Metro Conference offensive line selections on the first team will be Badgers in 2027, including Reiter, who provided endless stability as a prominent presence up front for the Warhawks offense in 2025. Germantown tallied over 3,500 total yards of offense last season, including five games of 30-plus points in its seven-win campaign. Reiter, along with fellow all-conference first-team selection Carter Gordon and Wake Forest commit Brady Moranski, all return to the Warhawks’ offensive line room in 2026 for an awesome title race in the GMC.
Jamail Sewell, sr., Wisconsin Lutheran
It didn’t take long for Sewell to figure out his future. A member of Wisconsin Lutheran’s historic boys basketball program that culminated its perfect campaign with its third straight state title this past season, Sewell put on football pads for the first time in his life last fall. After one year of organized football, he accepted an offer in May to play football at the University of Minnesota. It has been a meteoric rise for Sewell, who you can’t miss across the trenches for Wisco on Friday nights. The Vikings offense tallied over 2,400 total yards and 33 total touchdowns in 2025 and with Sewell’s length and monstrous size up front, Wisco could take a step toward a strong playoff push after a disappointing follow-up to its 2024 state semifinal run last year.
Other Milwaukee-area offensive linemen to know in 2026
James Banks, sr., West Bend West; Ian Beckes, sr., Marquette; Cole Biscobing, sr., New Berlin Eisenhower; Zach Longrie, sr., Arrowhead; Reece Mallinger, sr., Sussex Hamilton; Brady Moranski, sr., Germantown; Jack Tabbert, sr., Pewaukee; Hunter Wagner, sr., Catholic Memorial; Truman Wetzel, sr., Nicolet; Jackson Zolper, sr., New Berlin West.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee area loaded with Division I offensive line talent in 2026
Reporting by Michael Whitlow, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Michael Whitlow, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
